


Concussion

by SammysDove_CrowleysKitten



Series: One-Shots and Such [35]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adorable Hopper, Caring Hopper, F/M, Fluff, Hospital Visit, I got a concussion last week only I didn't have Hopper to take care of me lol, Inspired by true events, injured reader, ooh What I would give to have my own Jim Hopper ;), unfortunately
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-04 00:19:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13352535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammysDove_CrowleysKitten/pseuds/SammysDove_CrowleysKitten
Summary: Reader is injured at work and Hopper takes care of her.





	1. Friday

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Lovelies,
> 
> Good to be back again, may you all enjoy the (altered) story of my concussion experience lol I hope to have chapter two done soon.
> 
>  
> 
> Y/N = Your Name, N/N = Nickname

* * *

 

It was a cloudy Friday morning and the quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana had already started its day. Children were in school, adults were working, and your bakery was silent apart from the mixer in the kitchen. You wiped down the display glass and set your product out for the day. When the bell on the door chimed, you looked up to the see your favorite blue eyes glistening back at you. "Good morning, Chief. The usual?" 

 

Hopper let out a low growl and glanced around, making sure the two of you were alone, "Coffee, donut, and a little fun in the bathroom." He winked. 

 

"Very cute." You strolled over to him, placing your hands on his chest and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Last time we did that Mrs. Gillespie walked in and after that she wouldn't look me in the eye for a month,  _ and _ she still refuses to use the bathroom here." 

 

"More fun with a little risk." 

 

"I seem to recall a certain sexy chief of police telling our daughter that we don't take risks because risks are stupid and we're not stupid." 

 

"Why do you have to listen when I talk?" 

 

You giggled, pulling away and moving behind the counter. "Someone has to pay attention so they can hold it against you, and who's better than your loving little wifey." 

 

"Yeah, just wait til I get you home alone." 

 

"Ooh, I like the sound of that, can I hold you to it?" You winked, "Do you want donuts for you or do you want some for Callahan and Powell too?" 

 

"Nope, a dozen all for me." 

 

"Ha ha, like Flo would let you get away with that." You began stacking carefully selected donuts into a box and he carded his fingers through his hair. 

 

"You're prob’ly right... The kids coming here after school today?" 

 

"No they’re headed to the arcade today, my day is tomorrow." You shrugged with a smile, heading into the kitchen to check your dough in the mixer. You bent down, moving your mixing bowls aside, and just as you pulled a different paddle from the bottom cabinet, you were struck by something on the neck and bowls clanged around on the floor, making you yelp. 

 

Staggering to stand, you looked down to see what had happened and the room spun around you, "Babe, you okay?" Hopper's voice called, his tone laced with worry. 

 

You noticed a box of fondant on the floor beside you, and you almost stumbled into the counter, "Hop." You called weakly, holding the back of your neck. Hopper was in the kitchen within seconds and he saw you sway back and forth, steadying you with his hand on you hips. 

 

"What happened, are you okay?" You looked up him and your neck throbbed, the sudden movement making you want to throw up. You closed your eyes and tried to talk yourself down, not wanting to get sick, and attempting to let your vision straighten back out. "Baby, you gotta talk to me. What happened?" 

 

"Fondant box hit the back of my neck. I feel really dizzy, like I'm gonna throw up." 

 

"It's okay, you're gonna be okay. Let me see your eyes." He bent down far enough so you didn't have to tilt your head, and looked into your eyes. "Your pupils don't look dilated or anything, can you follow the tip of the pen." He picked up your pen from the counter and moved it slowly, watching your eyes as he moved it. You followed it perfectly and he sighed in relief. "Good, let's get you checked out though, I don't wanna take any chances. Can you put your arms around my shoulders?" Slowly, you lifted your arms and he carefully picked you up bridal style. "There we go." He kissed the top of your head as you let it relax against his shoulder and carried you to his blazer, setting on your feet and helping you get in the passenger's side.  

 

"Hop, you have to lock the door." You fished your keys from your pocket and found him the correct one. "Please?" 

 

"Okay. You didn't have the oven on or anything, yeah?" 

 

"No, just the mixer and the timer." 

 

He went in to shut everything off and locked the door behind himself, climbing in the truck and firing up the engine. He looked over to see your eyes closed, and held your hand. "Baby, you gotta stay awake until we get you checked out, just in case." 

 

"M'kay." 

 

Hopper pulled into the emergency room parking lot and threw his blazer into park, "Can you walk, or do you want a wheelchair?" 

 

"I can walk." He guided you, supporting some of your weight, as you walked inside and up to the check-in counter. 

 

Your friend Marie noticed you first and she looked to Hopper for answers, reaching for a check-in sheet. "What happened to her?" 

 

"She was at the bakery, something fell on the back of her neck. She's really dizzy and nauseous, she's shaking quite a bit too." 

 

" Y/N,Honey, why don't we get you sat down and I'll fill everything out that I know." 

 

"Thank you." You mumbled, letting Hopper guide you to the waiting room. The two of you were the only ones in there and Marie came back a minute, or so, later to have you sign a couple things and gave a warm smile when she saw how worried Hopper looked.  

 

"Don't worry, Hop, we're gonna get her taken care of." She smiled, "What happened N/N?" 

 

"I bent down to get a different paddle for the mixer and a box of fondant fell off the counter onto the back of my neck." 

 

"How much do you think it weighed?" 

 

"Maybe ten or fifteen pounds." 

 

"You weren't unconscious were you?" 

 

"No, it just made me really dizzy and shaky, and I felt like I might throw up." 

 

"Well I'm glad you're okay, that could've been so much worse." She gave you a careful hug and went to give the doctor your paperwork.  

 

When you were finally called, Hopper helped you into the exam room and untied your apron from your waist, unclasping the button at the back of your neck and setting it on the chair. "Sorry, baby, I didn't even think about your apron." 

 

You let out a quiet chuckle, "Hop, you're worrying too much... I didn't think it was a big deal to take it off." 

 

"It probably isn't but you don't need it pressing against your neck right now." He ran his fingers through your hair and kissed the top of your head, both silently waiting for the doctor. You yawned and rested your head against Hopper's chest, 

 

"Thank you for bringing me, Babe... Sorry for pulling you away from work." 

 

"Hey," He cooed, moving in front of you and carefully taking your face in his hands, "Don't ever apologize for needing me, you're my wife. You and Jane come before anything else when you need something, you know that." He massaged both sides of your jaw with his thumb and you closed your eyes, losing yourself in his touch until a knock sounded on the door frame. He slowly let go and stepped out your way, standing by your side. 

 

"Well hello, Miss Y/N. Hey Hopper." 

 

"Hey Doc." 

 

"Hi, Dr. Carter." You forced a meek smile and he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder.  

 

"What happened to you, Kiddo?" You rolled your eyes with a laugh at his term of endearment. 

 

"I'm not really a kid anymore, Doc."  

 

He patted your shoulder and looked between you and Hopper, chuckling, "I'm sixty-four years old, everyone's a kid to me... So did I hear something fell on ya?" 

 

"Yeah, I was at the bakery and a box of fondant fell on the back of my neck." 

 

"Just below the base of her skull." Hopper added, crossing his arms with concern and toying with his beard. 

 

"Well, let’s get you checked out. Can you look straight out for me?" You obliged and he pulled a small light from his pocket shining it in your eyes, smiling. "Now open your mouth." You opened your mouth, sticking your tongue out a bit so he could see your throat and he nodded. "Everything looks good so far. About how heavy was the box?" 

 

"Ten, maybe fifteen, pounds." He checked the back of your neck for swelling and any signs that something could be wrong. 

 

"Do you have a headache, any nausea?" 

 

"I have a pounding headache, and really bad nausea. I felt more nauseous right after it happened though." 

 

"Alright, Sweetheart, I'm gonna get you a prescription for nausea medicine and I'll give you some Advil before you leave, but I want you to go home. Close up the bakery for a couple days and get some rest. Now, it wasn't a bad hit so you should be a hundred percent by tomorrow, but if it gets worse, I want you to come back in, okay? Don't wait." 

 

"Okay. Thank you." The doctor left and Hopper rubbed a hand along your back.  

 

"God, you scared the hell outta me. I'm so glad you're okay." He kissed you tenderly and let his lips linger against yours as you spoke. 

 

"Me too... I hate to think how much worse that could've been." Hopper pulled away when the doctor came back in and handed you your paperwork. "Thank you." You were corralled into the passenger seat of the blazer and put on strict bed rest for the night, by Hopper, who insisted that he and Jane could cook dinner.  "What do we tell Jane?" 

 

"What do you mean?" 

 

"Do we explain a concussion and hope she doesn't worry her little head off, or do we just tell her I was hurt and that I'll be better in a day or two?" 

 

"I think both might be best, but we explain option one by using option two."  

 

You laughed, "You're confusing me, Babe. I can't think that much right now with my head throbbing." 

 

He pulled into the driveway and helped you out of the car, grabbing your paperwork and linking his arm with yours, guiding you up the stairs and into the bedroom. "Here, lay down, Baby, and I'll grab something more comfortable to wear." 

 

"You're too good to me, Hop." You smiled, love swirling in your eyes, and he smiled back. 

 

"Just takin' care of my girl, like you'd take care of me." He fished one of his plain tee shirts, and a pair of his sweatpants from the dresser, handing them to you and kneeling beside the bed. "Stay in bed and relax for a bit... Want some water or somethin'?" 

 

"No, thank you." He kissed you and slipped out of the bedroom to call Hawkins Middle, asking them to tell Jane to come home after school instead of going to the arcade with the boys. 

 

... 

 

Jane came through the cabin door, worry written on her expression, and Hopper raised his finger to his mouth, telling her to be quiet. "Hey kid, how was school?" 

 

"Good, where's Mom?" 

 

"Mom got hurt at work today, but don't worry. She's gonna be fine, we got her taken to a doctor and she just needs to get a little rest, Okay? She's in bed sleep-- Hey." Before he could finish she was headed towards the bedroom.  

 

Jane opened the door and saw that you were awake, smiling when you smiled at her. "Hey, Sweetheart, what are you doin' home, shouldn't you be hanging out with the guys?" 

 

"The school said Dad called and wanted me to come home after school." You patted the bed beside you and she laid down, letting you run your fingers through her hair and brush it from her face.  

 

"I didn't mean to worry you, I just wanted you to come home first so we could explain what happened." Hopper defended from the doorway.  

 

"Well, you know that I'm okay now, so how about I give you a quick explanation of what happened and then you can have the quarters from my purse and Dad can drop you off at the arcade? Sound good?" 

 

She nodded, "Sounds good." 

 

"I was at the bakery and I bent down to grab a different paddle for my mixer, and a box of fondant fell off the counter and it fell on the back of my neck. Luckily, your dad was there to take care of me." You looked over at Hopper with love in your eyes and looked back to Jane. "He took me in, got me checked out and they sent me home and told me to rest." 

 

"So, you're okay?" 

 

"I've a bit of a headache, but I'll be back to normal soon enough... Now why don't go sift through my purse and dig out all the quarters you can find, I'm sure the guys would love to hang out with you at the arcade." She happily hopped up and scampered over to your purse, digging around for loose change and then pulling out your coin purse to gather any other quarters she may have missed. Her big brown eyes found Hopper's and she flashed him a bright smile, 

 

"Can you drive me to the arcade?" 

 

He coursed his over his beard, "I don't know, Kid, I think I should and make sure mom's okay." 

 

"Oh don't worry, I'll be alright for the ten minutes that it takes to get to town and back. Go take her to see her friends, I promise I'll be in the same spot when you get back." You winked. 

 

“Don’t think you’re having any fun when I get back.” He scolded with a smirk, and pointed his finger at you. “And no cooking or baking.”

 

“Yes, Chief.” You answered playfully, knowing what the title did for him, and he closed his eyes to compose himself. Hop looked down to see your daughter looking up with a confused expression and a pile of quarters in her hand, and put his hand on Jane’s shoulder, nudging her towards the door, and grabbing his hat as they left.

 

“Come on, Kid, let’s get you to the arcade.”


	2. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of Reader's "lovely" concussion filled weekend...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies,
> 
> Not gonna lie, this is a lot of the "you did this, then this, then this..." Format. But that's how it all happened, hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Also, I'm posting from my phone, so no promises on the format

* * *

You tossed and turned in Hopper’s arms, waking him up in the process. He coursed a hand over his face and turned on the bedside lamp, turning back to look at you. His hand found its way back to your waist and you whimpered, your eyes fluttering open just barely. “Hop.” He brushed the hair out of your eyes and watched them flutter open further. “I feel really dizzy, the room is spinning.”

“Okay, just relax, we’ll--”

“Let go of me.” You flailed, trying to get his arm off of you and he ripped his arm back as you fell from the bed, running to the bathroom to get sick. You were violently ill and the motion of rocking back and forth only made your headache worse. When you finished, you collapsed against the bathtub and Hopper knelt beside you, pulling your hair behind your shoulders, and handing you the glass of water he was holding.

“What happened, Baby?” You fell against him, and he held you close, pressing gentle kisses to your forehead.

“I don’t know… I just woke up and felt really nauseous and with the room spinning, I couldn’t ignore it.”

“Okay… Okay, Do you wanna go to the hospital?”

You thought for a moment and he waited patiently, “Yeah.”

“I’ll go wake up Jane, and get dressed. Can you get dressed by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He left to dress and then wake your daughter. Alone for a moment, you caught your breath and clawed your way up the counter, staggering carefully back to your bedroom, and slowly pulling on a pair of sweatpants. Jane came barreling into the room and looked terrified. "It's okay baby, don't worry. Come here." You held your arms open for her to run into and she held you tightly but cautiously. "I'm gonna be okay, I just need to see the doctor again."

"I thought he already fixed you?"

"Well, Sweetie, I think I might've been a little more hurt than everyone realized. But try not to worry, okay?"

"okay."

Hopper came back to the room wearing jeans a tee shirt, boots and his big police jacket. "You want help to the truck, babe?"

"Yeah."

"Jane, get a coat on and get in the backseat... Please." She left, watching you the whole time. Hoper picked you up bridal style and you rested your head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Don't be sorry, I'd rather you wake me up than have something worse happen because you didn't." The two of you got outside and Jane was in the middle of the front seat, buckled in and everything. Hopper helped you into the passenger's side and you buckled yourself in, putting a comforting arm around Jane.

When you arrived at the hospital, you insisted on walking and clung to Hopper's arm. The night staff looked up from their conversation behind the counter and smiled politely. "Hey, Y/N, Chief. What's wrong?"

"I woke up really nauseous and dizzy, and I threw up."

"Okay, Honey, let's get you a I.D. bracelet and  some paperwork to fill out." They asked you to verify that your name and birthdate were correct and helped you clip it on when you said yes, leading you, Hopper and Jane to the first triage room. The nurse, Sallie, another old friend of your father's, came in and greeted you, straightening her hair and sitting across from you.

"Hi, N/N, what's wrong, Honey?"

"A box fell on me at work on Friday and Dr. Carson said to come back if I felt worse. I woke up really dizzy and shaky this morning and threw up. I had to have Hop drive."

"Okay, we'll give you a little check up and then I'll take you back into the ER." She checked your pulse and temperature, then slipped the cuff on your arm to check your blood pressure. "Blood pressure is a little high but that's understandable right now... Let's get you into a room and get the doctor to look at ya again." She helped you stand and you clung to Hopper, following the nurse into a room. She knelt down in front of Jane who had claimed the visitor chair, "Don't look so scared, Honey plum, we're gonna take good care of your mommy."

Jane nodded and looked up to watch Hopper help you onto the bed. He laid you down and stroked your hair, keeping his expression hard to read. You hated scaring him like this. Though he hid it fairly well, you knew it wore on him deeply whenever you or Jane were injured or sick in any way.

The three of you sat quietly until the doctor walked in, "Mrs. Hopper, nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Beckley."

"Hello."

"Why don't you tell me a little about what's going on. Your file said you woke up and you felt dizzy and shaky, then you got sick."

You nodded, slowly, and tried to sit up. Hopper was right there to help you and the doctor smiled. "You must be her husband."

"Yeah." He grinned with pride and coursed a hand along your spine. "Two years."

"Congratulations... Alright, Miss Y/N, how about we get you fixed up?"

"Yes, please." The doctor had you stand and asked you to hold out your hands, then made you follow the tip or the pen, then he proceeded to perform what felt like eighty more tests, before letting you sit back down and rest. "Okay some good news and bad news, with how you just did on those little tests... Your motor skills seemed good, you can follow the pen, and touch your nose then touch my finger, et cetera, but you're a little shaky when it comes to standing and holding your hands up, and you were really unsteady when I had you walk a straight line... Bad news, you have a concussion and I don't want you driving until you can come back in a few days from now and walk a straight line for me, okay?"

"but what about work? I need to be able to open the bakery tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, it's just not safe to have you driving when you're this off balance. I'm gonna need to see that you can walk a straight line, before I clear you to drive. We'd like to see you on Tuesday for a recheck."

You pouted and Hopper massaged your arm trying to comfort you. "It's just a safety thing baby, I'll bring you back in on Tuesday and I'm sure you'll be good to go, Okay?"

"Okay." Your shoulders fell at not being able to drive, and looked up to hear what else the doctor had to say.

"Good news, is it's a minor concussion. You should be able to go back to normal routine in about a week."

"A week!" You cried, stunned, "but I can't take that much time off."

"I know, and I really do feel for you, Mrs. Hopper, but unfortunately, people have very little choice when it comes to concussions, they don't get better unless you slow way down and take it easy long enough for the concussion to begin healing itself. I wish I could say you were a hundred percent and send you home, but I'd be lying." You could see the sincerity on his eyes and when you glanced over at your daughter, you sighed.

"Thank you for the honesty, I suppose... I'm sorry, I'm just the kind of person that can't really sit still for very long. I'll close the bakery for a week and take it easy. That way I can have fun with my daughter and husband sooner." Jane beamed and Hopper even cracked a content little grin.

"That's my baby" He whispered in your ear, and kissed your cheek.

The doctor was relieved to see come around, "I'll have the nurse come in to give you some nausea medicine and something for the pain, then we'll get you started on an I.V."

"Thank you."

"Just to make sure everything looks okay inside your head the neurologist is gonna want to do some MRIs, have you ever had one?"

"Yes, unfortunately... I used to get really bad migraines."

The doctor nodded, turning to leave and you sat in silence until Jane spoke up, "What's an MRI?"

"It stand for magnetic resonance imaging, they're gonna put in a really big tube and take pictures of my brain to make sure it's okay."

She looked horrified, "Does it hurt?"

"No, Sweetie, it doesn't hurt. It just makes really loud noises."

...

Three hours later the radiologist had arrived, fun fact: they have to be called in on weekends, and he rolled your bed down to the MRI room and helped you onto the machine. Hopper and Jane had stayed in the room and he was trying to keep her distracted until you came back, secretly trying to keep himself distracted as well. He kept forcing himself to say you'd be okay, he couldn't bare to think what would happen if you weren't.

"Alright, Mrs. Hopper, this machine is going to be a bit loud so let me if you need a break in between sessions. I need to do three MRIs. It should only take about an hour or so."

"Okay."

The banging and grinding noises made your head throb but you refused to ask for a break, wanting it to be over as soon as possible. Most of the time, you had your eyes closed, but there were a few moments where you opened them to look in the mirror that had been positioned on the helmet above you so you could see out into the room.

Deep, calming breaths got you through the experience and when he came into the room to say you were finished and that everything turned out clear, you couldn't help but sigh in relief. After helping you back to the bed, he wheeled you to your room. "She did really well, the images all turned out clear and we should have the results in about a half hour or so. A colleague was looking over them as I was taking then so he should be finished up soon. But just from what I saw, everything looked good... Take care now."

"Thanks, Doc." Hopper replied in his low timbre, even with you being injured and sick, his lower register sent desire swirling inside you. Jane came over to the bed and you motioned for her to join you.

She rested her head on your chest, being careful of your arm with the I.V. and hugged you, "I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart." Your nurse came back in and smiled when she saw Jane.

"So how're you feeling now that you've got some pain meds and an I.V in you?"

"I'm not feelin' much, Sallie."

"Good." She patted your shoulder, "That's what we're going for... Doctor says your results are just about finished, he's looking over 'em really quick then he'll be in to give you the results and get you released."

Sure enough, the doctor passed her on her way out the door and clasped his hands together. "Good news, the MRIs came back perfect. Everything looks like it should, you don't have any swelling or any pinched arteries, you just need to go home and rest for a week, we'll see you back in on Tuesday to see if you can drive again. However, even if I clear you for driving, I don't want you going back to work for at least a week. Concussions need rest."

"Okay."

"Here is a page of instructions I typed up for you, it gives you the basics of what you should and shouldn't eat and what activities I suggest you take a break from in the meantime. I also, gave you a prescription for Oxycodone for the pain, don't take it longer than a week, and I gave you a another prescription for nausea medicine." He handed you the notes and gave you a release form to look over and sign, tearing the back page off for you and keeping the original for the hospital records. "Alright, you, Mrs. Hopper, are a free woman. Do you guys need help out."

"No thank you, I got him." You looked up to your husband and winked.

"Sounds good, try to have a good day guys."

Hop helped you out to the car and Jane unlocked the doors before you even got close, running to open the passenger door for you. She crawled in the middle from the driver's side and smiled all the way, happy you didn't have to stay at the hospital for any reason, and happy that you would get better.

When you arrived home, Hopper immediately sent you to bed, carrying you when you said you'd be fine on the couch, "There's too much light and noise out here, you need to be in bed." He kissed your forehead and laid you down gently, "Get some rest, Babe. I'll make you breakfast."

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." You caressed his jawline, the scruff of his beard lightly tickling your palm, and a humble smile gracing his features.

"I don't know what we'd do without you."


End file.
